TA Hackathon is India's first hackathon created exclusively for Talent Acquisition and HR leaders. For years, TA teams have used hackathons to discover talent—this one flips the script and challenges the TA community to solve its own hiring problems.
Who Should Apply
TA leaders, recruiters, HRBPs, HR-tech professionals, people analytics experts—and anyone who's looked at a hiring process and thought, "There's a better way." Working professionals across India in Talent Acquisition, HR, and people roles are eligible to participate. Independent recruiters and professionals between roles are also welcome.
Format & Timeline
The competition has two stages. Stage 1 is an online submission: register, unlock the case study, and submit a 3-minute video presentation by 3rd August 2026, 11:00 AM IST. The top 4 teams qualify directly for the Grand Finale. Results are announced on 3rd August by 5:00 PM IST. Stage 2 is the Grand Finale on 6th August at TechHR India 2026 in Delhi, where 6 teams (4 shortlisted + 2 wildcard teams selected on-site) pitch live before a CHRO jury and fellow HR leaders. Each team gets a 5-minute live presentation followed by a jury Q&A. The audience votes live alongside the jury's evaluation. Two winners are announced—a Jury Winner and an Audience Winner.
Evaluation Criteria
- Problem Framing — Did you identify the real hiring bottlenecks and their root causes?
- Solution & Feasibility — Is your solution practical within a real team's budget and constraints?
- Innovation & Differentiation — Does your idea bring a fresh perspective beyond the obvious?
- Impact & Storytelling — Can you back your solution with measurable impact and present it memorably?
Prizes
- Jury Winner: ₹1,00,000 cash + trophy + certificate
- Audience Winner: ₹50,000 cash + trophy + certificate
- All 6 finalists: Certificate of Recognition from Unstop and People Matters
- All participants: Participation Certificate
- Shortlisted teams receive complimentary passes to TechHR India
Eligibility
Open to working professionals across India in Talent Acquisition, HR, and people roles. Solo participation or teams of up to 3 members.
About the Organiser
People Matters is a leading platform for HR and talent management professionals in India, known for organising TechHR India, one of the country's largest HR technology conferences. Unstop is a popular platform for student and professional competitions, hackathons, and hiring challenges in India.
How to Apply
Register on the Unstop platform, build your team (1–3 members), unlock the case study, and submit a 3-minute MP4 video by 3rd August 2026, 11:00 AM IST. Shortlisted teams must attend TechHR India on 6th August to pitch live.
